if i'm not mistaken, the annual reunion of ours began while we were all still in the seminary. 11 years since graduating from high school (nine, since my leaving the seminary), and we still look forward to our reunion. it was our catechist who suggested that we all meet for a day during our Christmas break, so we could bond as friends and peers outside the physical confines of the seminary. we began with a few pick-up games of basketball and football, and ended the day with a couple of drinks, maybe even dinner. some of us would linger over our drinks, play a few card games and talk about next year's reunion.

ironic for ex-seminarians to meet and mix, even after everyone's left the seminary (is that some kind of record --- not a single one of our batch becoming a part of the clergy?). there used to be thirty of us, half of that number are married now, while the others are still at the table playing their cards for time, or whatnot. it's like what my friend chad tells me, "With friends and wives, it's never halfway, you're either going all-in, or not. There are never bluffs, only good cards and bad cards. and always make sure you have the high cards."

i wonder how the latest reunion went...

i couldn't go --- am working nightshift now. damn.

PS. a friend of mine's invited me to a viewing of digital art. next week. will get the specs on that, and for now... Pit Señor!

with all the attention over our reunion for that friday, i got to thinking back to how our reunion started when i suddenly came across this online poker gaming site. it defines a "barkada" as follows:

"barkada: |bår-kä-DÃH| n. Identified as a false cognate because of its Spanish origins (a false cognate being a word existing in two languages, but giving meaning to different things). The original word in Spanish, spelled "barcada", originally meant "boatload". In its Filipino usage, the word "barkada" means a friend, or buddy. It is used as a mass noun to pertain to one person's group of close friends, collectively, rather than pertaining to just one friend. Oftentimes, the prefix 'ka-' is added when using the word in reference, or as an indirect object. (Curiously, as a mass noun, the word "barkada" returns to its connotive Spanish roots of 'boatload')."

now that is interesting, isn't it?

I still recall my old GI Joe action figures. my very first one was a cobra soldier in blue. two hours after i took it out of its package, it was missing a thumb... i wonder whatever happened to it. gotta love those action figures...

Had our office christmas party last night at this fine band bar in off the city circle, called Handuraw Cafe --- Have great food, will come! Woohooo!

The pizza was great; the pasta with pesto sauce was to die for; the Hors D'oeuvre spread was tantalizing, and so was the roasted porker (Minus that "Oh traditional fruit-in-mouth, wherefore art thou?!" apostrophe, that is).

Handuraw had just hosted Toyphilia 2005, the week before. Toyphilia 2005 is a toy and hobby exhibit that featured toys for big boys and small alike, from RCs, models, scale models of anything and everything. it also featured short films, PC and Video games. Among the games featured were online poker, a pocket tourney poker challenge (Texas Hold'em, no less), and a demo of that intriguing and fast-paced poker game variation, Badugi. I've only recently learned how to play Badugi, and i'll tell you, it's pretty fast game.

And while action figures may still be in vogue, i've moved on to bigger things. the World of Warcraft beckons. perhaps.

after one more Badugi deal...